Free press release sites-let me save you some time

[Dana_W]

So, I started writing press releases and one of my clients wanted me to send the press release out to a list of free press release sites. I had been saving lists of free press release sites, so I started going down the list and figured it would take no time at all. Hah! I say.

To make a short story long...

about a quarter of the sites on these lists had gone out of business. Several turned out NOT to be free - and I found this out after going through the time consuming and tedious process of applying to be a member, writing about my company, filling in the press release information...

and several of them apparently got swallowed by my spam filter on my email account so I applied to submit a press release and never got an email with a confirmation link...and one of them I filled out the form several times and finally got accepted, submitted the press release, and it told me that there were MySQL issues and I couldn't submit it...and one of them I filled out the application form and it turns out I can only submit stuff for myself, not for clients, which does me no good...

So, to save you all of this misery, here is my list of free press release sites which as of yesterday were still up and running, and to which I successfully submitted press releases: (And if you have any that are NOT on this list, which you use, please let me know!)

Press Release Distribution & Free Press Release Submit @ 1888 PressRelease.com
Free Press Release Distribution Center - I-Newswire.com
Express Press Release Distribution (Free)
PressRelease.com
http://openpr.com/
http://www.clickpress.com
http://www.freepressindex.com
http://www.pr.com
http://www.ecommwire.com/
http://www.free-press-release-center.info
http://www.prcompass.com/
http://www.prurgent.com
http://www.prlog.org
http://www.pressmethod.com
http://www.pressexposure.com
http://www.pressreleasespider.com
http://www.techprspider.com
http://www.sanepr.com
http://www.pagerelease.com
http://www.pressreleasepoint.com
http://www.bignewsbiz.com
http://newswiretoday.com

[rapidscc]

Hi Dana

Thanks for the reference...

Also, can you give pointers on a sample press release even just a single paragraph would help.

Thanks again,

Omar/RapidScc

[Eric Engel]

Originally Posted by rapidscc

Also, can you give pointers on a sample press release even just a single paragraph would help.

copyforsale.com/content/view/69/89/

[Stanley Tang]

i-newswire by far the best free one imo

[Barbara Eyre]

Dana,

I know there was another thread chock full of press release sites, and I was among several who was appreciative of the information.

But to know those that are current and fairly easy and successful to submit to - that's more valuable than just a list alone.

So, thank you VERY much for putting forth this effort for us all to benefit from.

You've been quite the busy beaver lately, between this, your work, your blog full of Twitter materials ...

[Dana_W]

Hey Omar, first of all one of the best things that you can do is go to the press release sites and read some press releases to get a feel for how to phrase things.

A press release has to:

Be written in the third person; even if I was writing about myself I would say "Dana Willhoit, CEO of Wordslinger, Inc., announces the launch of..."

Have a headline; a short summary which sums up the story in 2 or 3 sentences; the body of the story, which needs to be at least 250 words; and an "about the company" paragraph.

has to include contact information; many of the sites require a physical address and phone number.

Has to be written about something newsworthy. This doesn't mean it has to be so good it would make the front page, but you can't just write a press release about your business; you have to find an angle.

If you have just launched a business or are offering a new service, that's an angle.

If not - let's say you offer SEO services. You could send a press release saying that in today's economy, businesses need to make sure they get a return on every penny they spend on promotion, so you, Joe Smith of Joe Smith SEO Services Inc., are releasing a free mini-course on how businesses can use SEO to promote themselves and save money at the same time.

[rapidscc]

Hi Dana,

Thanks a lot for the help. It's very much appreciated.

Take care,

Omar

[Dana_W]

Originally Posted by Barbara Eyre

Dana,

I know there was another thread chock full of press release sites, and I was among several who was appreciative of the information.

But to know those that are current and fairly easy and successful to submit to - that's more valuable than just a list alone.

So, thank you VERY much for putting forth this effort for us all to benefit from.

You've been quite the busy beaver lately, between this, your work, your blog full of Twitter materials ...

Thank you, Barbara, that's it exactly. I saw those same lists and thought it would be super easy, but I probably eliminated half the sites on those lists for one reason or another - they no longer exist, they are only free if by "free" you mean "costs $99", they won't talk to my email account...

By the way, when applying to these sites, using a Yahoo or other free account can really slow things down. If you have a paid email account you are better off using that.

[Scott Ames]

I have often wondered if submitting to a bunch of PR sites is better than submitting to one or two big ones. Just a guess, but I would think that some of the smaller sites have no outlets picking up the stories. They just get posted on the PR site and that is all. Not bad I guess for SEO, but not that great for distribution.

[Denise Hall]

Great list, Dana. Thanks for posting it. I definitely didn't know about some of those.

Denise

[Dana_W]

Realistically speaking, a lot of the benefit from submitting to so many sites is going to be backlinks. The press is isn't going to pick up most of these press releases.

If you really want the press to pick up your press release, that takes some more effort and unless you have an absolutely astounding story to tell, it takes contacting the newspapers and magazines and Tv stations to pitch yoru story. Or hiring someone to do that for you.

And you generally need to come up with some kind of publicity stunt that is newsworthy, Now, when I say stunt - I don't mean Evil Knievel. I mean, if you are a dermatologist, arrange to do a free skin cancer screening for seniors at the local senior center. That'll get at least a small mention in the paper, and then they will know your name.

If you're a store owner, do holiday giveaways. Or solicit people to drop off donations at your store for a battered women's shelter or homeless shelter or whatever, and the people leave their business card, and you do a drawing and give away a free tank of gasoline to whoever wins.

Or if you train dogs, do a fundraiser for the local animal shelter - offer to give a 6 week dog training course and all proceeds will go to the animal shelter.

[Eric Engel]

Originally Posted by Scott Ames

I have often wondered if submitting to a bunch of PR sites is better than submitting to one or two big ones. Just a guess, but I would think that some of the smaller sites have no outlets picking up the stories. They just get posted on the PR site and that is all. Not bad I guess for SEO, but not that great for distribution.

http://www.marketingexperiments.com/...se-tested.html

Here's some good info on the subject. But I'm kind of skeptical about free press release sites...and how much time is wasted vs well spent when sending them a press release.

[Dana_W]

Wow, Eric, I think that article was one of the best arguments that I have seen FOR using press release submission!

My main question is whether it's worth paying the press release sites for better placement, the inclusion of more links, wider distribution, etc. At some point I'll do a test on that.

[TheRichJerksNet]

I could not agree more with the OP... I did the same thing with a list and after hours and hours of wasted time I got 3 press releases posted (others either rejected or was not free).

One I paid $20 for front page listing on a popular press release site. I got a total of 20 visits and that is all for all that work.. Huge waste of time.

Next time I will be paying for a real release.

James

[Dana_W]

Well, James, all those on the list I just posted are free. If you get it down to a rhythm - once you have signed up for all those sites and written your press release - I do think it's worth it to send it in to all of them. But it is terribly tedious getting it set up in the first place.

That's disappointing to hear that the $20 fee only got you 20 visits though. It might depend on a lot of things, the way the press release is written, the subject of the press release, the timing...

[TheRichJerksNet]

Hi Dana,
Oh I agree with you there...

1 press release has been published, with 96 views & No comment. Date Posted Sept 3, 2008
Top visited press releases is: A Serious Look At The Serious Way To Create Serious Income (96 views)

Total of 20 visits to my site with that and front page listing .. Listed #15

James

[Mark Riddle]

Dana,

Great post.

I noticed a trend of what types of releases that I do that get traffic and the ones that don't.

No its not the type of product or service that makes a difference.

The press releases that get the most attention are ones that invite the reader to take an action.

The word FREE kills action. Its a hype word.

Courtesy or Complementary out pulls FREE

Writing in third person active tense is a must have skill for press releases.

Mr Smith is going to have free one day auto body hot line this Thursday....

Mr Smiths Complementary one day auto body hot line is this Thursday....


Mark

[TheRichJerksNet]

Originally Posted by netmalls

Dana,

Great post.

I noticed a trend of what types of releases that I do that get traffic and the ones that don't.

No its not the type of product or service that makes a difference.

The press releases that get the most attention are ones that invite the reader to take an action.

The word FREE kills action. Its a hype word.

Courtesy or Complementary out pulls FREE

Writing in third person active tense is a must have skill for press releases.

Mr Smith is going to have free one day auto body hot line this Thursday....

Mr Smiths Complementary one day auto body hot line is this Thursday....


Mark

Oh see Mark, you just had to do it did'nt you ...

You going to go and make me redo some graphics for a site that I have not even released yet and they use the word "free" ..

James

[Mark Riddle]

James,

Ya can keep it on the site just not on the press release

Originally Posted by TheRichJerksNet

Oh see Mark, you just had to do it did'nt you ...

You going to go and make me redo some graphics for a site that I have not even released yet and they use the word "free" ..

James

[Dana_W]

Interesting side note: I went on Google and looked up the name of the company that I am promoting. Four or five of my press releases are on the front page of Google. Their actual web site is nowhere to be found, at least on the first few pages of Google.

At least press releases, which have sort of the ring of authority to the general public, ARE linking to their site, but their site should be on the front page of Google for their own name. Someone didn't SEO very well when designing their website.

[ForumJoiner]

Thank you very much for such a list!

Did you track the results you had from the press releases? I was curious to know which site sent you the most visitors?

[Dana_W]

I need to get the traffic stats from the client. The ones on the front page of Google were: 1-888-pressrelease - link at the top of my list -

inewswire
prlog
sanepr
pressreleasepoint
24-7 press release
prurgent

And this is regular google, not news.google.com.

[Dana_W]

I just heard from my client - they got picked up by several news services! Holy frickin cow. I didn't expect that.

Start writing and submitting those press releases, peeps!

I should mention that EcommWire Is Your Free Press Release Distribution Center turned down my press release and steered me to one of their other sites, because they only write about e commerce. I thought my client's press release was close enough, but apparently not.

Oh by the way - for all those people who talk about duplicate content - this story took up about six or seven positions on the front page of Google. Same story. Really, press releases are powerful stuff.

[DeePower]

You can see more about press releases, their format, and what should be included at Private Label Report, PLR Articles, Private label rights

Dee

[Dana_W]

I guess I should now add Free Press Release - Online Press Release Distribution Service to that list because their email JUST arrived in my Yahoo spam folder. Arggh. Stupid Yahoo. Pony express would have been faster!!!

[-- TW]

Great info Dana -- Thanks!

I have a q --

Is there a particular time of day and/or day of the week that's better to submit the release?

Is there a particular time of day and/or day of the week to avoid?

Any info on that?

Thanks!

-- TW

[submit2.0]

Hi Dana,

Thanks for the list

[Steven Carl Kelly]

Originally Posted by -- TW

Great info Dana -- Thanks!

I have a q --

Is there a particular time of day and/or day of the week that's better to submit the release?

Is there a particular time of day and/or day of the week to avoid?

Any info on that?

Thanks!

-- TW

I have no scientific data to back it up, but I always avoid press releases at the beginning or end of the week. I typically submit mine on Tuesday afternoons.

[Justin Mandel]

Actually Mark, this is based on your results and people should not take this to be fact in ALL niches...

Originally Posted by netmalls

Dana,

The word FREE kills action. Its a hype word.

Courtesy or Complementary out pulls FREE


Mark

[Dana_W]

Hey Justin, you're not following me on Twitter. Not that feeling I'm hurt and rejected or anything. >

I am still waiting to hear back from clients on what they find the best day - there is actually an argument that weekends are better because there are less submissions from other people which means you sit on the front page of the press release site for longer - and, as a reporter, I can tell you that on the weekend you have a better chance of a newspaper actually grabbing the press release and using it in their paper.

That's because weekends are traditionally slow and there is less news, so we would turn to press releases and wire copy. (AP wire copy>)

[tomw]

Hey thanks Dana,

Just what I was looking for, but you've done a much better job

Thomas

[Justin Mandel]

Aw Dana now you just cheer up right now ya hear? Cause I've been following you for a long time

Let's see...you put up a tweet ago about something about your daughter?

See!

Getting back to press release submission, from personal experience my press release ended up in a Sunday paper where I landed nearly a full page color story which ended up filling up my practice for nearly a full year

That was the only "advertising" I did for that whole time.

As far as online press releases I would think that the rate by which your press release is sticky is based partially on PR. If a site has a high PR then turnover rate should be high - kind of like the Wso section. But if your release is submitted to a low PR site you should stay on the front page longer like the warrior classifieds, but it will get less attention.

So it seems that for short term gains a site with a low PR is best, but for long term traffic a higher visibility site like prweb.com might cook your goose better.

Originally Posted by Dana_W

Hey Justin, you're not following me on Twitter. Not that feeling I'm hurt and rejected or anything. >

I am still waiting to hear back from clients on what they find the best day - there is actually an argument that weekends are better because there are less submissions from other people which means you sit on the front page of the press release site for longer - and, as a reporter, I can tell you that on the weekend you have a better chance of a newspaper actually grabbing the press release and using it in their paper.

That's because weekends are traditionally slow and there is less news, so we would turn to press releases and wire copy. (AP wire copy>)

[Kymmy Link]

Wow!

There is some seriously awesome information up there.
I have been looking for good info on press releases - I feel this thread has covered things nicely - and Im in a much better position to make an informed decision as to my marketing efforts.

Thanks Dana for starting this thread - and to everyone for their input!
Kym

[Dana_W]

Another thing I want to find out is whether it's worth it to pay for the extra visibility on the press release sites - so far clients want free, so free is what they get.

[bobsstuff]

WOW! Dana,
This is better than some WSO's people offer.
Thank you for this information.

I'm Twittering thanks to your WSO. I may just be Press Releasing soon to.
Thanks again.

[greenovni]

Here is a sample press release for those who need it (found via google search)

******************************************

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Joseph A. Stirt, M.D.
AnesthesiologyExpert.com
2809 Magnolia Drive
Charlottesville, VA 22901
Phone: 804-242-4990
Anesthesiology Expert Witness Testimony Anesthesiologist Malpractice
info@anesthesiologyexpert.com

Anesthesiologist M.D. Offers Expert Defense/Plaintiff Case Analysis of Potential Medical Malpractice

Charlottesville, VA -- April 12, 2001 -- Before you invest time and money defending or proceeding with an anesthesia-related medical malpractice case, check with expert board-certified anesthesiologist Joseph A. Stirt, M.D. Whether you are a defense or plaintiff attorney, Dr. Stirt can not only tell you if you have a case but also how best to structure it, based on a detailed
medical review.

No newcomer to cases involving possible anesthesia-related malpractice, Dr. Stirt has 15 years of experience. Presented orally or as a written report, his in-depth analysis can save you hours of preparation and thousands of dollars. He is prepared to step in at the last minute when another expert suddenly withdraws from a case. Availability and rapid response make his service unique.

According to Dr. Stirt, "The question I get most often is, 'Is it malpractice?' My job is to sort out the bad outcomes due to occurrences that fall within the standard of care from those that do not. The question of whether a case involves negligence is one that looms over every potential malpractice action. If answered correctly, it can save both defendants and plaintiffs from mental anguish and ill-advised pursuit of a defense or lawsuit."

Dr. Stirt serves on the faculty of a major U.S. medical school affiliated with a top-rated tertiary care medical center. He sits on state medical boards as an expert reviewer and expert witness in anesthesiology. He has written books, book chapters, and numerous scientific papers, as well as articles in the medical-legal literature, received honors and awards in medical teaching and scholarship, and has 18 years of academic anesthesia experience ranging from Post Anesthesia Care Unit Director and Outpatient Surgical Unit Director to his current position as Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology.

Dr. Stirt is a diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology and the National Board of Medical Examiners. He has been an invited reviewer and lecturer in anesthesiology throughout the U.S. and Europe and has appeared on CNBC.

Accessibility is a unique and important aspect of Dr. Stirt's services. His expertise in anesthesiology is available at any time. He does not work on a contingency fee basis. Your initial telephone consultation is free.

For information: Anesthesiology Expert Witness Testimony Anesthesiologist Malpractice or
Contact: info@anesthesiologyexpert.com
Phone: 804-242-4990

# # #

[greenovni]

Here is a sample press release for those who need it (found via google search)

******************************************

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Joseph A. Stirt, M.D.
AnesthesiologyExpert.com
2809 Magnolia Drive
Charlottesville, VA 22901
Phone: 804-242-4990
Anesthesiology Expert Witness Testimony Anesthesiologist Malpractice
info@anesthesiologyexpert.com

Anesthesiologist M.D. Offers Expert Defense/Plaintiff Case Analysis of Potential Medical Malpractice

Charlottesville, VA -- April 12, 2001 -- Before you invest time and money defending or proceeding with an anesthesia-related medical malpractice case, check with expert board-certified anesthesiologist Joseph A. Stirt, M.D. Whether you are a defense or plaintiff attorney, Dr. Stirt can not only tell you if you have a case but also how best to structure it, based on a detailed
medical review.

No newcomer to cases involving possible anesthesia-related malpractice, Dr. Stirt has 15 years of experience. Presented orally or as a written report, his in-depth analysis can save you hours of preparation and thousands of dollars. He is prepared to step in at the last minute when another expert suddenly withdraws from a case. Availability and rapid response make his service unique.

According to Dr. Stirt, "The question I get most often is, 'Is it malpractice?' My job is to sort out the bad outcomes due to occurrences that fall within the standard of care from those that do not. The question of whether a case involves negligence is one that looms over every potential malpractice action. If answered correctly, it can save both defendants and plaintiffs from mental anguish and ill-advised pursuit of a defense or lawsuit."

Dr. Stirt serves on the faculty of a major U.S. medical school affiliated with a top-rated tertiary care medical center. He sits on state medical boards as an expert reviewer and expert witness in anesthesiology. He has written books, book chapters, and numerous scientific papers, as well as articles in the medical-legal literature, received honors and awards in medical teaching and scholarship, and has 18 years of academic anesthesia experience ranging from Post Anesthesia Care Unit Director and Outpatient Surgical Unit Director to his current position as Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology.

Dr. Stirt is a diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology and the National Board of Medical Examiners. He has been an invited reviewer and lecturer in anesthesiology throughout the U.S. and Europe and has appeared on CNBC.

Accessibility is a unique and important aspect of Dr. Stirt's services. His expertise in anesthesiology is available at any time. He does not work on a contingency fee basis. Your initial telephone consultation is free.

For information: Anesthesiology Expert Witness Testimony Anesthesiologist Malpractice or
Contact: info@anesthesiologyexpert.com
Phone: 804-242-4990

# # #

[Dana_W]

Thank you, Bob! I am glad it was helpful. Seriously I have been THRILLEd with the press release results - go for it!

[jesseluna]

Great resource Dana, thanks for pointing me to this post!

[Dana_W]

Thank YOU, Jesse! Stick around the Warrior Forum - seriously - fantastic resource, great connections, very welcoming crowd.

Jesse is on Twitter, folks, worth following!

[EdwardMoore]

Dana,

Thanks for this great list of FREE Press Release sites. I have found several on there that I was NOT aware of, so I will be using your list. You are right in that it will create backlinks for us.

Also, that was a great little outline you gave on how to form one's Press Release. I know several people I have helped have a problem in doing this and you have made it simple to understand.

I have just re-tweeted your link to this thread on Twitter, so that more of my followers will benefit from your great information! Again, Thank You!!!

To your health,
Edward Moore

[iw433]

Thanks for the list. Will make good use of those sites.
These two don't work
Express Press Release Distribution (Free)
PressRelease.com

[Dana_W]

Thanks for pointing that out, it should be fixed now!

[Floyd Bogart]

A Big Thanks to Dana for posting such a great list...

And another Big Thanks to Denise for pointing me to it!

You have saved me a TON of sifting...

[Denise Hall]

Originally Posted by Floyd Bogart

A Big Thanks to Dana for posting such a great list...

And another Big Thanks to Denise for pointing me to it!

You have saved me a TON of sifting...

You're welcome, Floyd.

Denise

[dbarnum]

We keep a list going here that you can download in Excel, without signing up or anything:

Moving Ahead Blog: List of Press Release Submission Sites


Help yourself!

[surfer6]

Another press release site to add to your list:
HealthPRSpider.com

[Rachel Rofe]

Awesome list, Dana.

Just wanted to mention one thing...

I did a huuuge test a while ago where I tested publlishing press releases to a zillion different free sites.

The ONLY free press release site to send me over 2 visitors, after all the tests, was pressbox - free press release distribution and news - press store - copywriting services.

I found the $80 option at PRWeb to be a zillion times better than anything else. From the same press release, I got over 1,000 visitors using them.

[David Neale]

Time is money so we also use PRWeb. We prefer the $200 (SEO Visibility) option.

PRWeb recommends Tue or Wed as the best days to issue your PR.

Here are some stats on our last PR for a client. This is a very small niche and the clients base is not consumers but purchasing agents and small biz owners, smaller market than most.

Read from a PRWeb Site 573

Details of Headline Impressions

Headline Displayed thru RSS, XML or other syndication 18749

Headline Displayed on a PRWeb Site 13686
Headline Requested by Pheedo Network 2294
Headline Requested by Topix Network 37

Total 34766

Using AdWords keywords for this industry are valued at about $1.50 per click so for $200 we consider this very good value, especially considering the backlinks.

[Dana_W]

Originally Posted by Rachel Rofe

Awesome list, Dana.

Just wanted to mention one thing...

I did a huuuge test a while ago where I tested publlishing press releases to a zillion different free sites.

The ONLY free press release site to send me over 2 visitors, after all the tests, was pressbox - free press release distribution and news - press store - copywriting services.

I found the $80 option at PRWeb to be a zillion times better than anything else. From the same press release, I got over 1,000 visitors using them.

That is SO good to know! I'm finding decent results with prlog, prcompass, and a few others - but I am also getting ready to run a whole bunch of tests since I now have a press release site up and running.

Of course when free press release sites pick up your press release, there's also the benefit of backlinks, and branding, and getting your name all over the web - but if you can get more traffic while doing that, then that is the way to go!

I've also heard great things about webwire which has options starting at $19.